TAMPA, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced the results of an audit on state universities that looked at the efficiency of their operations.
The audit was announced earlier this year when the governor introduced the state’s DOGE task force aimed at reviewing and improving the government’s efficiency.
“I would say that, you know, there was actually a lot of positive that were found. I think there’s also things where there’s room for improvement,” DeSantis said during a news conference at the University of South Florida.
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One of the items looked at during the audit included a review of the use of H-1B visas, which DeSantis called “troubling and disappointing.”
Created by the 1990 Immigration Act, they are a type of nonimmigrant visa, meant to allow American companies to bring in people with technical skills that are hard to find in the U.S. The visas are not intended for people who want to stay permanently. Some eventually do, but only after transitioning to different immigration statuses.
“I am directing today the Florida Board of Governors to pull the plug on the use of these H-1B visas in our universities. We can do it with our residents in Florida or with Americans. And if we can’t do it, then, man, we need to really look deeply about what is going on with this situation,” DeSantis said.
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The task force also looked at grants used by the universities and identified over $10.6 million within the Florida college system that will be repurposed or canceled, the governor said.
“It’s basically hundreds of thousands of dollars, focusing on race, ethnicity and different things. And it’s like, you know, as a Florida resident, if you’re at a school, you should have the options to do whatever is available and it shouldn’t depend on race or ethnicity,” he said.
DeSantis said the universities are doing “a lot of really good things” with finances, but “there’s always going to be room for improvement.”
This announcement comes after multiple Central Florida counties and cities have been audited, including Orange County and Orlando.
Watch the full news conference below: